Snatch-block.



PATENTETD AUG; 1, 1905.

W. SMITH. SNATGH .BLOGK.

APPLIOATIOH mun no. 29. 1904.

awn/01 Mi Zlm mfimi 21L UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1905.

Application filed December 29, 1904. Serial No. 238,826.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at La Crescent, in the county of Houston and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSnatch-Blocks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in snatch-blocks.

The object of my invention is to improve the construction of the casingor shell of the block, to produce one composed of as few parts aspossible in order to furnish a snatchblock sufliciently strong for theheaviest pulling without being too weighty for convenient handling, andto reduce the cost of manufacture, so that it may be brought into usewherever required.

A further object of the invention is to provide a snatch-block which maybe readily opened and closed to permit a rope to be easily applied to orremoved from the sheave and one which cannot possibly open while in use.

In carrying out my invention I employ two separate casing members, oneupon each side of the sheave, and hang them on the pin or journal of thesheave, the outward extremity of each casing member being bent inwardlyat its extreme outer end to bear against the same end of the othermember and each of said outer ends being provided with a hook or hooks,as shown.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a snatch-blockconstructed in accordance with my invention, the same being shown in itsclosed position. Fig. 2 is an edge View of the block, omitting the ropeand loop. Fig. 3 is a View of the snatch-block in its opened position. 1Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 4 4of Fig. 1, omitting the rope and loop. Fig. 5 is an edge view similar toFig. 2, showing a slightly-modified form of the snatch-block; and Fig. 6is a detail view of the hook of one of the casing members, showing theright-angularly-projecting stud formed thereon.

Referring to the drawings by numeral, 1 denotes a pulley or sheave ofany well-known or preferred construction mounted to rotate upon a shaftpreferably in the form of a steel pin 2. Said pin may be secured in anydesired manner between the two half-sections 3 and 4 of the block. Asshown, it projects through suitable openings 5, formed in sa dhalf-sections, and is retained therein by spllt keys 6, which are passedthrough transverse openings 7, formed adjacent to the ends of said pin.The said half-sections, which are thus pivotally mounted upon the pin 2,are similar in construction and are preferably of metal, as shown. Eachcomprises a circular body 8, in which one of the openings 5 is formed,and a curved projecting portion 9, having oppositely-projecting hooks 10and 11 at its outer end, as shown. Said hooks are so shaped and disposedthat when the sections 3 and 4 are swung into register or alinement witheach other, as seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the hooks 10 of the twosections will form a single hook and the two hooks 11 will form anotherone. The portions 9 of the sections are preferably hollowed or recessedupon their inner sides, as shown, and are spaced apart by ribs orflanges 12 and studs or bosses 13. The half-sections are adapted to beheld together in their closed position by the attaching link or loop ofthe block, which link or loop is engaged with the hooks 10 and 11. Myimprovedloop and loop-coupler, which is described and claimed in myapplication for patent, filed December 29, 1904,

and bearing Serial No. 238,528, is well adapted for the above purpose,and in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings I have shown the same applied. Asshown, the device comprises a rope, cable, or other flexible element 15,passing freely through an opening in a couplingblock 16 and having oneof its ends 17 secured in said coupling-block. In applying the de viceto the snatch-block the loop is passed around the neck formed by thecontracted ortion of the arm 9 and engaged with the liooks 10 and 11,and the free end of the cable is drawn upon to cause the said loop totighten around the neck, as clearly shown in the drawings.

In Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings I have shown a slightly-modified formof hook for the casing members. In this form instead of making the hooksor portions 10 extend parallel or in the direction of the length of thecasing members, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3, I provide said portions withstuds or lugs 20, which extend outwardly at right angles, as shown.These studs or lugs 20 serve the same purpose as the hooks 10namely, tokeep the cable or the coupling-block in engagement with the casingmembers.

The construction, operation, and advantages of my invention will bereadily understood from the fore oing description, taken in connectionwith t e accompanying draw ings. It will be seen that a rope or cablemay be quickly and easily applied to or removed from the block by simplyloosening the attaching loop or link and swinging the halfsections 3 and4 to their opened position. (Shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.) It willbe further noted that the snatch-block is of exceedingly simple,durable, and inexpensive construction and that owing to the peculiarshape and disposition of the hooks 10 and 11 it will be impossible forthe attaching link or loop to slip off when the device is in use.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will of course be understood that various changes in theform, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resortedto without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of theadvantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A snatch-block comprising, in combination with a sheave and an axletherefor, a pair of casing members pivoted on the axle on opposite sidesof the sheave, and each having a bent arm at one end provided withoppositely-extending projections to retain a loop on the neck formed bythe said arms.

2. A snatch-block comprising, in combination with a sheave and an axletherefor, a pair of casing members pivoted on the sheaveaxle, onopposite sides of the sheave, and each provided with a bent arm havingoppositely-projecting hooks at its outerend, for

the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM SMITH.

Witnesses:

FRANK R. SMITH, MARK W. SMITH.

